Road bicyclists - one of those memorable rides.

[IdahoDoug]

Tonight we had the weekly bike shop ride and it was one of those memorable rides you don't forget for a long time. I've been riding with a different group of guys the last few years and I miss my old bunch, so it was very cool that my best buds all showed up for this one. Lots of banter, verbal abuse and constant attacks made it like a big homecoming ride for us.

We strung out on a windy section and I was in the middle of the pace line having one of those invincible feelings thats half mental and half physical. You riders know what I mean - you're attacking and starting sprints because you can feel that for whatever combination of training, rest and the alignment of the stars your game is fully on. You're bubbling with enthusiasm and when the pace is hard for some reason you're completely relaxed and marveling at all the strained faces around you. It's wild and seems to only happen once out of 10 rides. Lance Armstrong describes these days as feeling like "you have no chain" because there's no effort.

The ride went up some beautiful hills overlooking the lake, down achingly beautiful country lanes, and through some winding canyons. At the top of a huge downhill where we were supposed to turn, I thought I was out front and then noted two riders a quarter mile up. So I gave chase thinking I had not gotten the word we were going down the hill instead. Caught them at the bottom and realized they were random riders not with our group. Aaah. Now I've got to grind up one of the notorious climbs to catch my buddies. Faster than I've ever gone up it (despite the hard riding so far), I flew up the 2 miles and caught up with them just as they were turning around.

Whipped around and they were determined not to let me hook up on the draft so they sprinted away. I gritted my teeth and watched my heart rate climb to 188 and sit there for several minutes before I finally felt the welcome wind buffeting that signals you are creeping into the back of the turbulence. Caught them. Pounded a gel and a couple mouthfuls of water and recovered, then went back to the front where I discovered I'd really given up some strength and we had a great row all the way back to the bike shop - screaming into town and through the streets like a pack of lycra-clad punks dodging around and trying to lose each other by sprinting for green lights, etc. It was one of those wild, testosterone filled rides, ya know?

Afterwards, my closest buddies and I went to the local bar for sandwiches and brews and the place was full of competitors in town for the Ironman this weekend. Just a great biking evening in every sense that rocked my world.....

DougM

[cary]

Sounds like a great ride. I only get those rides about 1 out of 100 times and it is when everyone else is going slow. I ride more than all the guys I ride with and I am still the slowest. The good news is I kill them technically and on all the downhills.

[OZCAL]

I do love tales of the big ring...

[D'Animal]

You need to ride the RAGBRIA!

[Spud]

Been there...going back soon enough.

I used to be the "leader" of our shop ride cause' I had an ability to put together loops in my head and hold the organization. Nothing like trying to lead the front and going to the back to pull up stragglers, then sprinting to the front to inform of the next turn. Good stuff...

Those were the days, man I need to get back in that kind of shape.

Funny though cause' back then we would have 10-20 and think it was a big ride. The same shop, (that I worked for and left long ago), now has sometimes more than 100 people on the same Mon. night ride. I can not stand to ride with that many people due to the total chaos of it all. People taking up the whole lane, pissing off tons of drivers etc., strung out for a couple of miles. Just silly...

Keep it up Doug...

[carboncycles]

Nice ride Doug, and yea, I know what you mean about those rides when the planets and stars line up just right. Reminds me of some of the craziest rides when i lived in Colorado; saw some of the most incredible views in the morning hours when the sun is slowly creeping up...canyon crossings where each side of the road was nothing but air, riding by lakes where you couldn't tell where heaven ended and earth began

I also agree with you Spud on the group/organized rides; one of the main reasons why I stopped attending ride for the roses...organizers are a bunch of dumbasses who wouldn't know the hand signals from a fawk you bird.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by D'Animal

You need to ride the RAGBRIA!

RAGBRAI is only in a very small part about bike riding. Mostly it's a mobile beer/ nekked people festival which has various stops across the state of Iowa.

[crholliday]

Thanks for posting that. The memories are good!

[Mr. Toad]

Well, if karma always remains balanced, then I was your counterweight. My ride was the opposite of yours. It was so hot here that the 98.6 degree air coming out of my lungs and streaming across my face felt refreshing in comparison to the oven-like conditions outside. After only about 25 miles (of pretty fast effort), I retreated to the back of the group and quit talking so that no one would know I was really suffering. I managed to stay on, just barely, because it was so hot that I think everyone else was feeling like I was to some degree. The last 5 miles were the traditional "cooldown" where everyone replays the ride, the attacks, and trades good natured ribbing. Pretty much everyone admitted being cooked, but they had no idea that I was barely turning the pedals over. With about 3/4 mile to go, I flatted. Sheeeeeeeet! I was so worked that I couldn't go to sleep when I went to bed. Recent job stress probably had something to do with that too, but I ended up laying semi-comatose-anxious watching 2 cycles of Miami CSI on A&E until 3:00 a.m. Oh well.

[Spud]

I was so worked that I couldn't go to sleep when I went to bed.

Is'nt that crazy...I know the feeling. Absolutely blow yourself out and expect to sleep like a baby only to find you cannot even get the shuteye. Legs so aching that you simply toss and turn cause' just laying there is not even a relief.

[carboncycles]

Speaking of hot, Austin has been brutal with the high temps above 100+ and humidity. My afternoon rides are suffering because of it; it feels like my lungs are under water with each breath

[Mr. Toad]

Originally Posted by carboncycles

Speaking of hot, Austin has been brutal with the high temps above 100+ and humidity. My afternoon rides are suffering because of it; it feels like my lungs are under water with each breath

Yeah, I'm in San Antonio. Remember last summer when it seemed like it rained every other day and the daytime highs never broke 95 degrees? I think all the folks who moved here in the past couple of years thought that was how summers always are. Suckerrrrrrrs.

[carboncycles]

Originally Posted by Mr. Toad

Yeah, I'm in San Antonio. Remember last summer when it seemed like it rained every other day and the daytime highs never broke 95 degrees? I think all the folks who moved here in the past couple of years thought that was how summers always are. Suckerrrrrrrs.

Man, that was nice. My water bill was like nothing since I never had to turn the system on. Guess the Yin and Yang must balance, and we're on the other end this summer ah?

[IdahoDoug]

Toad,

I'm an advocate of some of the researched and valid supplements for riding as I run with a pretty hot bunch of riders and am 47. Need every edge I can get. In the heat, you'd be astounded how well you can sustain hard efforts using some sort of electrolyte tabs - concentrated amounts equivalent to some dozens of bottles of a Gatorade type drink whose trace amounts don't help AT ALL. Pure marketing - they have trivial amounts. I use Hammer Nutrition's Enduralyte tabs. Your bod uses what it needs and pisses the rest out harmlessly.

Your description of barely turning the pedals is the clue - you may have been so low your muscle fibers hardly had the chemical ingredients to simply fire let alone fire hard.

Anyhow, hot weather can be rough on ya in many ways. Glad you hung on though.

[D'Animal]

Originally Posted by Doc

RAGBRAI is only in a very small part about bike riding. Mostly it's a mobile beer/ nekked people festival which has various stops across the state of Iowa.

Yeah, so whats your point?

I though it was called Carb Loading. Sure beats easting spegetti the night before.

[carboncycles]

Originally Posted by D'Animal

Yeah, so whats your point?

Hmm, I wonder if the women leave trails on their saddles and sweaty balls..bad images esp before lunch

[D'Animal]

I have done Ragbria 6 or seven times. Believe me there are some pretty hardcore cyclists who attend. Everyday is a century day (100 miles) and they race each other.

[Gold Boy]

read IdahoDoug!

[Jman]

Originally Posted by IdahoDoug

screaming into town and through the streets like a pack of lycra-clad punks . . . . It was one of those wild, testosterone filled rides, ya know?

Please, no pics.

[bigndn]

Originally Posted by IdahoDoug

Tonight we had the weekly bike shop ride and it was one of those memorable rides you don't forget for a long time. I've been riding with a different group of guys the last few years and I miss my old bunch, so it was very cool that my best buds all showed up for this one. Lots of banter, verbal abuse and constant attacks made it like a big homecoming ride for us.

We strung out on a windy section and I was in the middle of the pace line having one of those invincible feelings thats half mental and half physical. You riders know what I mean - you're attacking and starting sprints because you can feel that for whatever combination of training, rest and the alignment of the stars your game is fully on. You're bubbling with enthusiasm and when the pace is hard for some reason you're completely relaxed and marveling at all the strained faces around you. It's wild and seems to only happen once out of 10 rides. Lance Armstrong describes these days as feeling like "you have no chain" because there's no effort.

The ride went up some beautiful hills overlooking the lake, down achingly beautiful country lanes, and through some winding canyons. At the top of a huge downhill where we were supposed to turn, I thought I was out front and then noted two riders a quarter mile up. So I gave chase thinking I had not gotten the word we were going down the hill instead. Caught them at the bottom and realized they were random riders not with our group. Aaah. Now I've got to grind up one of the notorious climbs to catch my buddies. Faster than I've ever gone up it (despite the hard riding so far), I flew up the 2 miles and caught up with them just as they were turning around.

Whipped around and they were determined not to let me hook up on the draft so they sprinted away. I gritted my teeth and watched my heart rate climb to 188 and sit there for several minutes before I finally felt the welcome wind buffeting that signals you are creeping into the back of the turbulence. Caught them. Pounded a gel and a couple mouthfuls of water and recovered, then went back to the front where I discovered I'd really given up some strength and we had a great row all the way back to the bike shop - screaming into town and through the streets like a pack of lycra-clad punks dodging around and trying to lose each other by sprinting for green lights, etc. It was one of those wild, testosterone filled rides, ya know?

Afterwards, my closest buddies and I went to the local bar for sandwiches and brews and the place was full of competitors in town for the Ironman this weekend. Just a great biking evening in every sense that rocked my world.....

DougM

No stopping for pee-breaks? What do you do, piss yourself?

[carboncycles]

Originally Posted by bigndn

No stopping for pee-breaks? What do you do, piss yourself?

Let's say that it is possible to piss while riding a bike....

[bigndn]

Originally Posted by carboncycles

Let's say that it is possible to piss while riding a bike....

Slight hijack: DOES PISSING BLOOD = A GOOD RIDE??

Y'all are nasty. I'm potty training my 3 YO right now and you guys VOLUNTARILY piss yourselves. Ewwwww.

Or the other option:



Fat Cyclist Blog Archive How To Pee Whilst Riding Your Bike

Today was going to be the day that I peed while riding my bike. I know what you’re thinking: Why? In case I ever get called up to ride in one of the tours, that’s why. The last thing I want to have happen is to be riding for Team Phonak during one of the 6-hour stages of the Giro d’ Italia, only to realize that I didn’t know how to urinate while bicycling. I just know what would happen. I’d overhydrate and then try to hold it in. Soon, I’d drop to the back of the pack, clenched and sweating, and then I’d just let go. Riders would make fun of my soggy shorts, and I’d start crying.

No, I want to be ready.

But how do I go about this? On the bathroom wall of my favorite bike shop is a poster of a rider holding another rider’s seat; a third rider is holding the second rider, and the first rider is making a beautiful stream away from his bicycle. Getting help seems like a good option. Should I ask someone to hold the back of my seat? If so, what accent should I use? I do an OK breathless old man impersonation (”Young man, I’m about to soil my trousers. I need help!”), and my Spanish accent is OK, but I think the British dandy would be the best approach, given the awkward nature of the request. Oh, or maybe go back a few centuries to Elizabethan times:

“Good sirrah! I am ill at ease! My full bladder bespeaks a most disquieting pain, a pain at once nightmarish and exquisite. My body cries out to me as if bedammed for nigh this fortnight. Were that it were not so! Perchance thou couldst hand my seat whilst I heed the beckon of nature’s most insistent call. Prithee, answer man!”

No, I knew I had to be realistic. I wasn’t riding with a buddy, and I wasn’t about to ask a stranger to help me, accent or no. If I was to go through with this, I needed to do it alone. Besides, you know those urinal troughs in seedy downtown bars and old baseball parks? Those make me nervous, especially when there’s a line. No one wants to hear the guys muttering behind him: “How long has that guy in the green fleece been standing there? I don’t see a stream. Hey pal! What’s the problem? Maybe you should step aside and figure it out while the rest of us go about our business.” This was going to be awkward enough without dealing with performance anxiety. I needed privacy.

I also needed some advice. So I went to the library. Ha! Just kidding. Here are the three rules I learned from the Internet:

Rule 1: Make sure you’re safe from legal repercussions.
Urinating in public may violate indecent exposure, public nuisance, and disorderly conduct laws. In some states, you can become a sex offender for urinating in public. You don’t want to have to knock on your neighbors’ doors and notify them of your status. It’s awkward.

Rule 2: Make sure you’re riding on a slight decline.
If you’re going too fast, you don’t want to lose control of your bike. If you’re going too slow, you don’t want to have to pedal midstream. You might as well just stop and get off your bike.

Rule 3: Learn the proper technique.
Extend one leg and rotate the opposite hip towards the extended leg. Free your member from the top or bottom of the shorts, and let it flow. Tap as necessary.

After doing my research, I decided it would be easy. It even looks easy.



Notice the varying techniques used by the cyclists. The Postie is using the over-the-shorts method, while the guy in the green jersey is using the under-the-shorts method. See how the right leg of his shorts is rolled up? Easy enough. I was all set. On the way into work, I found a nice, remote location with a slight decline and got ready to go. That’s when I learned one more rule to successful relief on a bicycle:

Rule 4: Make sure you really need to go.
The first time you try this, understand that Nature doesn’t just have to be making a polite house call, ding-dong. Nature needs to be banging on the door with an oak cudgel, shouting and threatening to breaks windows.

After work, I didn’t stop by the bathroom on my way to the bike cage, and I downed two bottles of water. I was good and ready. Almost too ready. After a painful twenty-minute ride through traffic, I finally got to a trail where I could get on with my business. I don’t want to go into the details of my experience, but let’s just say I learned two new rules:

Rule 5: Account for shrinkage.
You may not have as much capacity for extension as when you started the ride.

Rule 6: Once you start, don’t stop until you’re done.
It doesn’t matter if you think you see the lights of an approaching car or an oncoming cyclist. Stay committed. Otherwise, you’ll finish your ride with a soggy bottom.

And if You’re a Woman…
I have neither information nor advice for you. I’m sorry.

[Spud]

Big Indian...

Believe me when I say that, that is extremely uncommon.
I have logged 10's of thousands of miles and don't recall ever having to piss my pants.

You have quoted from an elite pro racer...they are like .0001% of the cycling community. He is referring to what you may have to do if you are engaged in a 5/6/7hour race and well...if you have to go, you have to go. IIRC, often the pro's will communicate in the "peloton" and collectively decide to all stop for a "nature break", or you could whip it out and piss while riding no handed.

[Mr. Toad]

Originally Posted by Spud

Big Indian...

Believe me when I say that, that is extremely uncommon.
I have logged 10's of thousands of miles and don't recall ever having to piss my pants.

You have quoted from an elite pro racer...they are like .0001% of the cycling community. He is referring to what you may have to do if you are engaged in a 5/6/7hour race and well...if you have to go, you have to go. IIRC, often the pro's will communicate in the "peloton" and collectively decide to all stop for a "nature break", or you could whip it out and piss while riding no handed.

The pros usually stop. But check out the pic in the fatcyclist link. Four guys pissing at the back of the group. Takes some skill...